Saarc

Many of the countries which are today part of SAARC were colonies of Britain. This granted them a common historical experience of colonization. However, after the Second World War, these countries gained their independence. Despite their common historical bonds, several South Asian countries fought wars with each other. India and Pakistan have waged several wars since their independence, while Pakistan fought to prevent Bangladesh from achieving its independence from being part of Pakistan. While South Asian wars were not infrequent, the countries of South Asia nevertheless sought greater diplomatic and economic cooperation. This was in part because of the Cold War, which was a vast geopolitical conflict for influence and control over the world between the Soviet Union and its allies and the United States and its allies. Leaders like India's Jawaharlal Nehru organized the creation of the Non-Aligned Movement, an international diplomatic organization which sought to assure countries' sovereignty in the face of the Cold War. While SAARC member countries represent a significant portion of South Asia, not all countries in the region are members as of yet. The members of SAARC are: • Afghanistan, a Muslim-majority country whose SAARC membership is in question due to recent political instability • Bangladesh, a Muslim-majority country with friendly relations with India • Bhutan, a small Buddhist-majority country in the Himalayan Mountains • India, the largest member state of SAA...

• العربية • অসমীয়া • Asturianu • अवधी • বাংলা • Башҡортса • Беларуская (тарашкевіца) • भोजपुरी • Български • Català • Čeština • Dansk • Deutsch • ދިވެހިބަސް • डोटेली • Eesti • Español • Esperanto • Euskara • فارسی • Français • ગુજરાતી • 한국어 • हिन्दी • Hrvatski • Bahasa Indonesia • Italiano • עברית • ಕನ್ನಡ • Lietuvių • Ligure • मैथिली • മലയാളം • मराठी • مازِرونی • မြန်မာဘာသာ • Nederlands • नेपाली • नेपाल भाषा • 日本語 • Norsk bokmål • Norsk nynorsk • Occitan • ਪੰਜਾਬੀ • پنجابی • پښتو • Polski • Português • Romani čhib • Русский • සිංහල • Simple English • Slovenščina • Српски / srpski • Sunda • Suomi • Svenska • தமிழ் • తెలుగు • ไทย • Türkçe • Українська • اردو • Tiếng Việt • 吴语 • 粵語 • 中文 v • d • e In the ending years of the 1970s, the seven inner South Asian nations that included Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, agreed upon the creation of a trade block and to provide a platform for the people of South Asia to work together in a spirit of friendship, trust, and understanding. President After the However, after a series of diplomatic consultations headed by Bangladesh between South Asian UN representatives at the In 1983, at the international conference held in Officially, the union was established in Members and observers [ ] Economic data is sourced from the Members [ ] Country Population GDP (nominal) [US$ million, 2023] GDP (PPP) [US$ million, 2022] (Nominal) (PPP) (2022) (US$ million, 2022) (US$ million, 2022 or earlier) Defence budg...

Regional Centres Since 1989, a number of Regional Centres with specific mandates have been established to strengthen and promote regional cooperation. The Regional Centres implement programme activities and are expected to evolve into Centres of excellence in their respective areas. These Centres are managed by Governing Boards comprising representatives from all the Member States, SAARC Secretary-General and the Ministry of Foreign/External Affairs of the Host Government. The Director of the Centre acts as Member Secretary to the Governing Board, which reports to the Programming Committee. SAARC Agriculture Centre (SAC), Dhaka This center was stablished in 1989 with the mandate to provide timely, relevant and universal access to information and knowledge resources to all the agricultural practitioners of the SAARC Member Countries to achieve their respective goals through networking agricultural knowledge and information systems by adopting the appropriate information and communication technologies, management practices and standards. This center was stablished in 2006 with the mandate to envision as a catalyst for the economic growth and development of the South Asia region by initiating, coordinating and facilitating regional as well as joint and collective activities on energy. SEC would provide technical inputs for the SAARC Working Group (and other) meetings on Energy, and will facilitate accelerating the integration of energy strategies within the region by providin...

The first summit was held in Second summit 2nd [ ] The second summit was held in November 17–18 Third summit 3rd [ ] The third summit was held in Fourth summit 4th [ ] The fourth summit was held in Fifth summit 5th [ ] The fifth summit was held in Sixth summit 6th [ ] The sixth summit was held in Seventh summit 7th [ ] The seventh summit was held in Dhaka, on 10–11 April 1992 but was postponed and was attended by the presidents of the Maldives and Sri Lanka, the prime ministers of Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan, and the king of Bhutan in 1993. Eighth summit 8th [ ] The eighth summit was held in New Delhi, on 2–4 May 1995, and was attended by the presidents of the Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, the prime ministers of Bangladesh, India and Nepal, and the king of Bhutan. Ninth summit 9th [ ] The ninth summit was held in Malé, on 12–14 May 1997, and was attended by the presidents of the Maldives and Sri Lanka, the prime ministers of Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan, and the king of Bhutan. Tenth summit 10th [ ] The tenth summit was held in Colombo, on 29–31 July 1998, and was attended by the presidents of the Maldives and Sri Lanka and the prime ministers of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Pakistan.SAARC countries stressed for eradicating poverty and promoting joint collaboration. Eleventh summit 11th [ ] The eleventh summit was held in Kathmandu, on 4–6 January 2002, and was attended by the presidents of the Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka and the prime m...

Since the first CSDP missions and operations were launched back in 2003, the EU has undertaken over 37 overseas operations, using civilian and military missions and operations in several countries in Europe, Africa and Asia. As of today, there are 21 ongoing CSDP missions and operations, 12 of which are civilian, and 9 military. Election observation missions (EOMs) provide a comprehensive, independent and impartial assessment of an electoral process according to international standards for democratic elections. The EU is a worldwide recognised credible actor in international election observation. Since 2000, the EU has deployed over 160 EOMs in more than 60 countries. Since 2006, the EU High Representative has led diplomatic efforts between the E3/EU+3 (China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States) and Iran, which led to the conclusion of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on Iran’s nuclear program (JCPOA) in Vienna on 14 July 2015. The JCPOA is designed to ensure that Iran’s nuclear programme will be exclusively peaceful and provides for the comprehensive lifting of UN, EU and US nuclear-related sanctions. In an increasingly interconnected world, Europe’s security starts abroad. European citizens expect and deserve to live in a safe and stable environment. In the face of increased global instability, the EU needs to take more responsibility for its own security and increase its capacity to act autonomously. Digital technologies have brought...

Select Toggle Title Date pdf Guidelines and Rights and Obligations of SAARC Apex Bodies ( pdf, 34 KB ) 27 Jul 2020 pdf Guidelines and Rights and Obligations of SAARC Recognized Bodies ( pdf, 30 KB ) 27 Jul 2020 document Guidelines For SAARC Internship Programmme ( doc, 56 KB ) 27 Jul 2020 document List of Finance Focal Points in SAARC Member States ( docx, 14 KB ) 27 Jul 2020 document SAARC Internship Programme Application Form ( doc, 64 KB ) 27 Jul 2020 pdf SAARC Secretariat Calendar 2020 ( pdf, 131 KB ) 27 Jul 2020 pdf Study - SAARC_Next Steps to SAEU ( pdf, 3.34 MB ) 27 Jul 2020

WHILE regional groupings such as the EU and Asean have brought states — including former enemies — closer, this formula has not worked in South Asia. In fact, this region is often described as one of the least integrated in the world, and Saarc, founded nearly four decades ago, has remained a moribund forum, primarily because of the toxic nature of the Pakistan-India relationship. In a Of course, a major irritant in the revival of Saarc is India’s rigidity, especially under Narendra Modi’s watch, and its desire to isolate Pakistan internationally. It is because of this attitude that Pakistan was not able to host the There is little consistency where ties with India are concerned, with the civilian authorities saying one thing, and the powerful military establishment, which has an undeclared veto on all matters concerning India, going in another direction. Moreover, political parties, when in opposition, have also blasted the government in power for wanting to trade with India. The fiasco earlier this year, when the PTI government decided to re-establish limited trade ties with India, only to take a U-turn soon after receiving criticism, is a case in point. Where India is concerned, while many in New Delhi may feel that they don’t need Pakistan, and Indian ministers and generals make bellicose noises about ‘taking back’ Pakistani territory, the fact is that a peaceful South Asia is in everyone’s interest. Despite poverty alleviation efforts, hundreds of millions of Indians ...

• In 1985, at the height of the Cold War, leaders of South Asian nations — namely Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka — created a regional forum. • The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was established with the goal of contributing “to mutual trust, understanding and appreciation of one another’s problems.” • The first SAARC meeting took place in Dhaka in 1985, and there have been 18 summits till date. However, the organisation has not had a smooth run. • Afghanistan was admitted as a member in 2007. • SAARC is aimed at promoting the welfare of the people; accelerating economic growth, social progress and culture development; and strengthening collective self-reliance. The organisation also seeks to contribute to mutual trust and understanding among the member countries. • Other objectives include strengthening cooperation with other developing countries, and cooperating with international and regional organisations with similar aims and purposes. • SAARC summits are usually held biennially and hosted by member states in alphabetical order. The member state hosting the summit assumes the Chair of the Association. • SAARC has its headquartered in Kathmandu, Nepal. • It has 10 observer states, namely, Australia, China, the European Union, Iran, Japan, Mauritius, Myanmar, South Korea, and the United States. • The official language of the organization is • However, despite the framework SAARC provides for cooperation among...

Since his election in May 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has ascribed high priority to establishing stronger relations with India’s neighbors. While the gesture of inviting South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) leaders to his swearing-in ceremony might be considered symbolic, it provided the necessary impetus in bringing SAARC to the forefront of India’s foreign policy lexicon. Several measures since then have reinforced the government’s resolve to forge closer strategic ties with countries in the region. High-level visits to Nepal, Bangladesh, and Bhutan – alongside summits with larger economic and geopolitical powers such as Japan, China, and the United States – not only signal their importance in India’s foreign policy priorities, but have also laid the groundwork for stronger and more substantive cooperation. Similarly, out-of-the-box thinking on avenues for cooperation – including the proposal for a SAARC satellite and a Centre for Good Governance – signal the government’s intention to play a proactive role in providing a leadership and governance structure to a region characterized by fragmentation and tension. During the visit of the Prime Minister of Nepal to India, Modi described SAARC as a “vital instrument to add to the strength of each member nation and advance collective action for shared prosperity in the region.” The steps taken over the past few months have infused a new life and hope for greater integration and cooperation in the reg...

SAARC stands for South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, which is a regional organization comprising of eight nations located in South Asia. As of 2015, the regional bloc accounted for 3.8% of the world’s economy. The membership of the regional bloc is comprised of Nepal, Pakistan, India, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bhutan, and Bangladesh. Myanmar and China have expressed interest in joining the organization. The association was established on December 8, 1985, in Dhaka, Bangladesh at a summit hosted by President Hussain Ershad of Bangladesh. Some countries such as the US and Australia have been granted observer status. Formation of SAARC The organization formed following the culmination of the efforts that began in 1947 at the Asian Relations Conference. The initial objective was to create a trading bloc that would foster harmony among the South Asian people. The countries were receptive to the idea; however, Pakistan and India were both initially doubtful of the union. India thought that the smaller nations would gang up against it while Pakistan feared that India was trying to use the organization to strengthen its dominance in the region and turn the other countries against Pakistan. The issue was resolved after diplomatic consultations at the UN-led and Bangladesh. After the establishment of the organization, the countries agreed to cooperate in five key areas: health and population activities, rural development, agriculture, meteorology, and telec...